


A Love to Last

by BekahBechel



Category: Tintin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BekahBechel/pseuds/BekahBechel
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

Prologue: It’s me again, Elizabeth Joy Hawkins, here living with my brother Johnathan Lee Hawkins, who is in the Air Force. He is an engine mechanic and until very recently he thought I was dead. I never knew he existed until a couple of months ago, when the women who I thought was my mother gave me a letter from my father, who is deceased, vaguely explaining that I had an older brother and that the person who I thought was my mother was really my stepmother. Since my brother and I got reunited a few things happened, we moved in with the Jones’ family. Since the base is about a two-minute drive from their house they figured we could save money by staying with them. My brother and I started to see a family psychiatrist due to our father committing suicide, the fact that I could see two others of myself and helping us learn how to communicate with each other. Ever since I took back my belongings from my stepmother and I guess my step-uncle Haddock, I have yet to see any of them even Tintin. However, through all of these changes, the good and the bad, I am so happy that Sally has stuck by my side. “Oh, Lizzy, earth to Lizzy.” “Hmm? Oh sorry, Sally I was just thinking.” I said glancing back at her. She laughed “I knew you were thinking, you zoned out like 10 minutes ago!” “I somehow doubt it was 10 minutes ago,” i scoffed. “Yes it was, I even had Alice count the seconds.” “It was 610 seconds!” Alice piped up. “Ok, ok, ok I zoned out for ten minutes, I was just thinking about everything that had happened these past few months and this past year. That’s all.” i sighed. “I don’t blame you this past year for you has been crazy, moving from one country to another, finding out your mom is your stepmother, you have an older brother, falling in love with Tintin.” “No, I didn’t fall in love with Tintin, come on you promised to help me find a dress for the gala tonight.” “Fine, fine come on then.” Sally lead me and Alice to a dress shop. I sighed and rolled my eyes. It took about three hours of me trying on different kinds of dresses. Until I found one that I absolutely adored. It was a bat-sleave top with the bottom that flowed out if you spun around. It was modest and simple. Just the way I liked it. Its color was a sky blue accented by a royal purple. I put it on and I felt as though I was a princess. I came out of the dressing room where Sally was talking to the saleswomen, who were family friends. Alice saw me first, she sighed an aww. “Oh Beth, you look like a princess.” I blushed “Thank you, Alice.” I smiled softly at her. She grinned back. Sally and the saleswomen turned around and saw me. They all grinned. I blushed even more. The bell above the door rung. Who came in, my stepmother, it looked like she dragged step-uncle Haddock. It looked like Haddock managed to drag in Tintin and the twins. My stepmother stopped when she saw me dressed up. I bit my lip and Sally came and stood by me and put an arm around my shoulders. Alice grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze, I looked down and she grinned at me with determination in her eyes. I smiled down at her and gave her hand a squeeze. That’s when I heard the twins gasp. I looked up at them and saw they had seen me. I held my head up and acted like their presence wasn’t a bother. I glanced at Tintin who stood looking awestruck. I looked at Sally. “This is the one.” I stepped from their grasp and turned around in the mirror they had. I looked back and smiled brightly at Sally and Alice. Alice giggled and jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Sally smiled. “Well, it’s about time, took you long enough.” I rolled my eyes with a smile on my lips and the saleswomen all laughed. I went back to the dressing room and changed back into a royal purple A-framed skirt with a brown belt and a white blouse. I took off the royal ballet flats that Sally found to match the dress and slipped back on the brown ballet flats that went with the belt. I stepped back out and the saleswoman, who originally started helping us, came and took the dress and flats from me. She made her way to the counter and Sally had her put it on her family’s tab. I tried to protest but Alice had dragged me to the dresses her size and started to try on almost all the dresses. “Aww, I like that one on you. But should you really be trying dresses on? I smiled. “Sally said to try on different styles because we are going to my favorite store to get me a new dress,” she said giggling as posed the dress she was wearing giggling at her own silliness. I chuckled. “Ooo, and why is that?” I asked already knowing the answer. “Oh, Bethy you know that I don’t have any dresses not covered in paint or grass stains.” She said in a serious voice. I laughed “I know Alice I was just giving you a hard time.” she changed into another dress. The style of the dress was similar to mine at least from the waist down. The top part had a collar and two buttons going down the middle with ¾ length sleeves. She turned around in the mirror taking in her appearance, she gasped and I smiled. “You look, beautiful young lady,” I said with a wink. She turned and smiled at me. “I think this type of dress is the one I want. But the color doesn’t due my complexion justic.” “Alice have you been reading Jane Austin again?” Sally said coming up to us. “No, but Elizabeth has been reading Jane Austin’s Emma to me.” Alice replied. Sally shook her head. “Well come along Miss Woodhouse.


	2. The Gala Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth solves a mystery at the Gala that will help her and her brother's journey through the pain left by their dead father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two songs come from Les Miserables which I don't own. I also do not own Tintin. Yes, I changed some of the words to help it fit better with a song being about her father instead of a lover.

Time skip brought to you by “working early tomorrow”

As Sally and I were preparing for the gala laughing and having a good time. 

“Lizzy, can you believe we are going to go to school in a few short weeks?”

“No I can’t but I am excited and nervous. Very nervous considering that I will be one of the youngest ones attending”

“Don’t worry Liz I have your back, anyone messes with you I will beat them up,” Sally says flexing. 

I laugh. “Thanks, Sal, at least I know you will be able to defend little old me.”

“Liz, seriously, you will be the young genius taking our campus by storm.”

“I wish I had your confidence. At least we have someplace to go during the week to get away from our other roommates if they are not cool.” I quipped. 

“Oh, that’s right, that lovely German couple,” Sally remembered. 

“However this gala is freaking me out. My stepfamily will be here at any moment if they aren’t yet.”

“Alright your hair and makeup are done and you are looking beautiful tonight.” 

“Sally,” I said exasperated. 

“Come come let's go show you to the world,” Sally said, pulling me towards the lobby. 

There were a ton of people already there. I start looking for my brother as I descend the stairs. I still was looking for Jonathan, just because I speak now doesn’t mean I like to talk to complete strangers without someone who I know. However people are starting to crowd, so I slip into the study. I walk to the beautiful grand piano that lies there untouched. Sally has said that no one has been able to open the piano’s lid. She continued saying that there is a legend behind the piano, ‘One must play what is in their heart to get to the heart of sound’. No one has figured out the legend, then I remember a song that my father taught me on the guitar. I sat down at the bench playing those notes that would correspond with the song; I softly sing the song remembering my father and changing some of the lyrics to make it about my father:

_On my own_  
_Pretending he's beside me,_  
_All alone I walk with him till morning_  
_Without him, I feel his arms around me_  
_And when I lose my way I close my eyes_  
_And he has found me_  
_In the rain, the pavement shine like silver,_  
_All the lights are misty in the river_  
_In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight_  
_All I see is him and me forever and forever_

_____ _

_And I know it’s only in my mind_  
_That I’m talking to myself and not to him_  
_And although I know that he is gone_  
_And, I say, there is a way for him_  
_I love him but when the night is over_  
_He is gone and the river’s just a river_  
_Without him, the world around me changes_  
_The trees are bare and everywhere_  
_The streets are full of strangers_

___ _

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_I love him but every day I’m learning_  
_All my life I have only known him_  
_Without him, the world will go on turning_  
_A world that is full of happiness_  
_That I soon hope to know_  
_I love him, I love him, I love him_  
_But only beyond his grave_

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I had closed my eyes remembering his face as he taught me to sing it. It was one of my favorite songs from my favorite musical. I didn’t notice that the lid was slowly opening to let out the melody I was playing. I stopped, I let some tears hit the notes. I remember the song I Dreamed a Dream.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_I dreamed a dream of time gone by_  
_And hope was high and life worth living_  
_I dreamed that love would never die_  
_I dreamed that God would be forgiving_  
_And I was young and unafraid_  
_And dreams were made and used and wasted_  
_There was no ransom to be paid_  
_No song unsung No wine untasted_  
_But tigers come at night_  
_With their voices soft as thunder_  
_As they tear your hope apart_  
_As they turn your dream to shame…._  
_But he was gone when autumn came_  
_And still, I dream that he'll come back to me_  
_But there are dreams that cannot be_  
_I had a dream my life would be_  
_So different now, from what it seemed_  
_Oh, life has killed the dream I dreamed_

_______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I stopped playing and looked up to see the lid had lifted up, a note stuck in it. I grabbed the note, it was the last owner of the piano.

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“To whoever opened this piano,  
You have poured your soul into the piece you played,  
This piano is special in the way that the piano reacts to  
your emotions that can be heard from your playing.  
You may have felt pain but remember hope is like the sun,  
If we don't have faith through the night, then we cannot trust  
That there will be a tomorrow.

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sincerely,  
AnnaMarie”  
I cried.

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
